Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major,   "Drum Roll"
performed Feb 1, 2004

Cello Concerto in D Major
performed Mar 7, 2004

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was born in the Austrian town of Rohrau, and in 1761, after a conspicuously ordinary early life, was engaged as vice-Kapellmeister by Prince Paul Esterházy, a Hungarian nobleman. He remained exclusively in that family's employment for the next thirty years, working for Prince Paul and then for his son Nikolaus. Unlike Mozart, whose relationships with his patrons were neither easy nor consistent, Haydn lived happily within the confines of his master's world and benefited enormously from seclusion and from having a permanent orchestra with which to work. Haydn later remarked, "There was no one there to confuse me, so I was forced to become original." In 1790, Nikolaus died and the court musicians were dismissed by his successor.

Haydn moved to Vienna, but shortly afterward received an invitation to visit England, where he proved incredibly successful in 1791-92. Oxford University even gave Haydn an honorary degree. Having returned from London, he bought a house in Vienna where he taught Beethoven and others, but in 1794 he returned to England, this time with even more success. He returned to Europe again in 1795, returning to employment with the Esterházy family and concentrating all of his time on composing. His health began to fail in 1802, and after a long struggle, Haydn died in 1809. In some ways, Haydn was more radical than Mozart, experimenting with unusual-length phrases and using unconventional forms in his symphonies. Above all, Haydn is the most humane and comforting of composers. In his own words, he wrote music so that "the weary and worn, or the man burdened with affairs, may enjoy a few moments of solace and refreshment."

Haydn was never a solo performer on any instrument, unlike Mozart and Beethoven. Yet Haydn had an obvious ability to create stunning musical works and showcase the finest soloists of his time simultaneously. Haydn only wrote two cello concerti, two decades apart. The Cello Concerto in D Major, Hob.VIIb:2 is a stark contrast to the Haydn's first cello concerto. Baroque was dead, and Classicism had gained a great depth of feeling due to literary influences. The piece was written for Anton Krafft, a colleague at the Esterházy household. Through the obvious attempts to feature Krafft's virtuosity, we clearly hear the mastery of Haydn answering the larger musical questions.

Haydn's Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major is nicknamed "Drum Roll" for its odd timpani roll introduction. The introduction itself is also remarkable because it is the longest of Haydn's adagio symphonic introductions. Like many of Haydn's London Symphonies, this work shows Haydn's appreciation for folk melodies, in this case Croatian and Scottish. Symphony No. 103, in particular, shows us a contented Haydn at the height of his prowess and popularity

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